TWI695171B - Probe - Google Patents

Abstract

An objective of the present invention is to provide a probe allowing a narrow pitch and having a plunger and a barrel fixed to each other, and a manufacturing method thereof. A probe according to the present invention includes a rod-shaped plunger 11 having a distal end portion 111 and an insertion portion 112 connected to the distal end portion 111, a tubular barrel 12 inside which the insertion portion 112 of the plunger 11 is disposed, and an electrically conductive first fixing member 131 which is disposed in an opposing region of the plunger 11 with the barrel 12 to fix the plunger 11 and the barrel 12 to each other, and has a lower melting point than any material of the plunger 11 and the barrel 12, wherein the space between the plunger 11 and the barrel 12 is buried with the first fixing member 131 in such a state that no gap exists, in a cross-sectional plane of an area where the plunger 11 and the barrel 12 overlap with each other, which includes the area where the first fixing member 131 is disposed.

Description

Probe

The present invention relates to a probe used for measuring characteristics of a test object.

In order to measure the characteristics of a test object such as an integrated circuit without being separated from the wafer, a probe contacting the test object is used. The probe is formed by using, for example, a small-diameter conductive part called a plunger that is in contact with the object to be inspected, and a barrel called a barrel for the needle shaft to contact the object to be inspected with an appropriate pressure It is the structure etc. which connected the expandable and contractible cylindrical shape part (refer patent document 1 for example).

[Prior Technical Literature] [Patent Literature]

(Patent Document 1) Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-53931

In order to make the needle shaft and the cylinder fixedly connected, spot welding can be used. However, the spot shaft welds the pin shaft to the cylinder body, and the cylinder body bulges outward due to the pressure of the spot welding. Therefore, in order to prevent the probes from coming into contact, it is necessary to widen the interval of the probes, which has a problem that the arrangement of the probes is narrowed.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a probe with a narrow pitch that is formed by a fixed connection between a needle shaft and a barrel, and a manufacturing method thereof.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a probe including: a rod-shaped needle shaft having a front end portion and an insertion portion connected to the front end portion; a tubular cylinder body for disposing the insertion portion of the needle shaft Inside it; and the conductive first fixing member, which is arranged in the area where the needle shaft and the cylinder face so that the needle shaft and the cylinder are fixed and the melting point is lower than the material of the needle shaft and the cylinder, Wherein, in the cut surface of the region where the needle shaft and the cylinder overlap the region where the first fixing member is arranged, the space between the needle shaft and the cylinder is filled by the first fixing member without a gap .

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a probe, the probe having: a rod-shaped needle shaft having a front end portion and an insertion portion connected to the front end portion; and a tubular cylinder body for The insertion part of the needle shaft is arranged inside; the manufacturing method includes: forming a specific area of at least one of the needle shaft and the cylinder body, forming a conductivity lower than any material of the needle shaft and the cylinder body The step of the first fixing member; the step of inserting the insertion portion of the needle shaft from the open end of the cylinder into the inside so that the needle shaft and the cylinder are connected through the first fixing member in a specific area; and The step of fusing the first fixing member to fix the needle shaft and the barrel.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a probe which can be narrowed and is formed by a fixed connection between a needle shaft and a barrel, and a manufacturing method thereof.

1‧‧‧ Probe

11, 11A‧‧‧Needle shaft

12, 12A‧‧‧Cylinder

110‧‧‧block

111‧‧‧Front end

112‧‧‧Insert

113‧‧‧ protruding area

120‧‧‧core wire

121‧‧‧Inner layer

131‧‧‧First fixed member

132‧‧‧Second fixing member

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the probe according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the probe of the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of holding the probe of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of formation of the first fixing member of the probe according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing another example of formation of the first fixing member of the probe according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5(a) shows the state of the needle shaft before the first fixing member is arranged, FIG. 5(b) shows the state of the needle shaft after the first fixing member is arranged, and FIG. 5(c) shows the state of the needle shaft after being fixed to the barrel.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing another example of formation of the first fixing member of the probe according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing another example of formation of the first fixing member of the probe according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the method of manufacturing the probe of the comparative example.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the shape of the probe of the comparative example.

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining the method of forming the cylinder.

Fig. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of the cylinder.

Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a probe according to a modification of the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the probe according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a method of forming the second fixing member in the probe shown in FIG. 13.

Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a probe according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the following drawings, the same or similar parts are marked with the same or similar symbols. However, it should be noted that the drawing is a schematic diagram, and the thickness ratio of each part is different from the actual one. Of course, the drawings also include parts in which the relationship and ratio of the sizes are different. The embodiments disclosed below are only examples of devices and methods for embodying the technical idea of the present invention. The embodiments of the present invention are not intended to limit the materials, shapes, structures, arrangements, etc. of components to the following example.

(First embodiment)

As shown in FIG. 1, the probe 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention includes: a rod-shaped needle shaft 11 having a front end portion 111 and an insertion portion 112 connected to the front end portion 111; a tubular barrel 12 , The insertion portion 112 of the needle shaft 11 is arranged inside thereof; and the first fixing member 131 is to fix the needle shaft 11 and the barrel 12. The first fixing member 131 is disposed in a region where the needle shaft 11 and the barrel 12 face each other, and has a melting point lower than that of any material of the needle shaft 11 and the barrel 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the outer diameter of the cylinder 12 is constant. In addition, for easy understanding, the first fixing member 131 is shown in a diagonal line (the same applies hereinafter).

FIG. 2 shows the cross-sectional shape of the region where the needle shaft 11 is fixed to the barrel 12 by the first fixing member 131. As shown in FIG. 2, between the surface of the needle shaft 11 and the inner wall surface of the cylinder 12 in the cut surface of the region where the needle shaft 11 and the cylinder 12 overlap the region where the first fixing member 131 is arranged The first fixing member 131 is filled with no gap.

The probe 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a configuration in which needle shafts 11 are inserted from the opening ends of both ends of the cylindrical body 12, respectively. The probe 1 is used, for example, to acquire the electrical characteristics of a subject. In this case, the front end portion 111 of the needle shaft 11 at one end is in contact with the subject, and the front end portion 111 of the needle shaft 11 at the other end is in contact with a terminal such as a wiring board and is tested with a tester or the like through the wiring board The machine is electrically connected.

Therefore, the needle shaft 11 and the barrel 12 are made of conductive materials. For example, the needle shaft 11 is made of AgPdCu, etc., and the cylinder 12 is made of Ni. Since the needle shaft 11 and the cylinder 12 are electrically connected through the first fixing member 131, the first fixing member 131 also uses a conductive material.

As shown in FIG. 1, a spiral slit penetrating the side surface of the cylindrical body 12 is formed, and a part of the cylindrical body 12 is formed into a spring shape. Thereby, the cylinder 12 can expand and contract freely in the axial direction. Therefore, the needle shaft 11 can be brought into contact with the object to be inspected and the wiring board with an appropriate pressure. In addition, no slit is formed in the area where the needle shaft 11 is not arranged.

The probe 1 is held by a socket 2 as shown in FIG. 3. The number of needle shafts 11 required for the measurement of the subject is arranged through the socket 2. The pin shaft 11 exposed from one main surface of the socket 2 is in contact with the object to be inspected, and the pin shaft 11 exposed from the other main surface of the socket 2 is electrically connected to the testing machine.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing the probe 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The manufacturing method of the probe 1 described below is just an example, and including this modified example, it can of course be realized by various manufacturing methods other than the method described here.

First, in a specific area of at least one of the needle shaft 11 and the barrel 12, a first fixing member 131 having a conductivity lower than that of any material of the needle shaft 11 and the barrel 12 is formed. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the first fixing member 131 is formed on the surface of the needle shaft 11. The area where the first fixing member 131 is formed is shown by a dotted line in FIG. 4, and corresponds to a certain distance from the open end of the cylinder 12.

Then, the insertion portion 112 of the needle shaft 11 is inserted into the inside from the open end of the cylindrical body 12 to connect the needle shaft 11 and the cylindrical body 12 through the first fixing member 131 in a specific area. Then, the first fixing member 131 is melted to fix the needle shaft 11 and the cylinder 12.

The first fixing member 131 can be melted by, for example, heat treatment. For example, the first fixing member 131 is melted in a high-temperature environment by reflow.

In addition, the specific area where the first fixing member 131 is formed in the above-mentioned manufacturing method refers to an area where the needle shaft 11 and the barrel 12 are opposed when the needle shaft 11 and the barrel 12 are connected , Hereinafter referred to as "fixed area". In order to form the first fixing member 13 in the fixing region, various methods can be adopted according to the type of the first fixing member 131 and the like. The method of forming the first fixing member 13 includes, for example, a method of forming an Au/Sn plating layer, or a method of applying solder paste.

As described above, in the probe 1, the electrical signal is transmitted through the needle shaft 11 and the barrel 12. Therefore, the resistance between the needle shaft 11 and the barrel 12 must be low. Therefore, it is preferable that the first fixing member 131 that electrically connects the needle shaft 11 and the barrel 12 can fill the gap between the needle shaft 11 and the barrel 12 without leaving a gap. Therefore, the first fixing member 131 is continuously formed on the side surface of the needle shaft 11 in the circumferential direction. Thereby, in the cut surface where the fixing region of the first fixing member 131 is formed, the gap between the needle shaft 11 and the barrel 12 is filled by the melted first fixing member 131 without a gap full.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5(a), a concave portion having an outer edge may be provided on the surface of the insertion portion 112 of the needle shaft 11, and then a first fixing member may be formed inside the concave portion as shown in FIG. 5(b). 131. The state after the needle shaft 11 and the cylindrical body 12 in the state shown in FIG. 5(b) are fixed to each other is as shown in FIG. 5(c).

By forming the first fixing member 131 in the concave portion provided on the surface of the insertion portion 112, as shown in FIG. 5(c), the interval between the needle shaft 11 and the cylindrical body 12 where the concave portion is not formed is narrowed. With this, the allowable amount of current flowing to the probe 1 can be increased. In addition, in a region other than the fixed region, the surface of the needle shaft 11 may be joined to the inner wall surface of the barrel 12. Therefore, the resistance between the needle shaft 11 and the barrel 12 can be further reduced.

Although the example in which the first fixing member 131 is formed on the needle shaft 11 is disclosed above, the first fixing member 131 may be formed on any one of the needle shaft 11 and the cylinder 12 before fixing. Alternatively, the first fixing member 131 may be formed on both the needle shaft 11 and the barrel 12.

FIG. 6 shows an example in which the first fixing member 131 is formed on the surface of the cylindrical body 12. In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the first fixing member 131 may be formed in a concave portion provided on the inner wall surface of the cylindrical body 12. By forming the first fixing member 131 inside the concave portion, the interval between the needle shaft 11 and the cylinder 12 in a region other than the fixing region can be narrowed. As a result, as described above, the allowable amount of current flowing to the needle shaft 11 can be increased, and the resistance between the needle shaft 11 and the barrel 12 can be reduced. In addition, recesses may be provided on both the surface of the insertion portion 112 of the needle shaft 11 and the inner wall surface of the cylindrical body 12, and the first fixing member 131 may be formed inside these recesses.

FIG. 8 shows a method of fixing the pin shaft 11A and the barrel 12A by spot welding as a comparative example. The spot welding system uses the electrode 100 to press the needle shaft 11A and the cylinder 12A in the direction of the arrow, while flowing current through the needle shaft 11A and the cylinder 12A. As a result, the contact surface between the needle shaft 11A and the barrel 12A generates thermal resistance, and the heat resistance causes metal fusion and solidification inside the needle shaft 11A and the barrel 12A, so that the needle shaft 11A and the barrel 12A are welded together . The pressure at this time causes deformation as shown in Fig. 9 and causes the surface of the cylinder 12A to swell.

When bulging occurs on the surface of the probe, in order to prevent contact between the probes, the interval between the probes must be widened. Therefore, the narrow pitch of the probe arrangement is hindered.

In contrast, according to the method of manufacturing the probe 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, it is not necessary to apply pressure to the fixed connection of the needle shaft 11 and the barrel 12. Therefore, the outer diameter of the cylindrical body 12 is kept constant without bulging in the fixed area where the needle shaft 11 and the cylindrical body 12 are fixed. Therefore, it is possible to narrow the pitch of the probe arrangement.

In addition, a spiral slit is formed in the cylinder 12 in a state where the core wire 120 is inserted into the cylinder 12 as shown in FIG. 10. For example, photolithography technology is used to form the slit. At this time, it is preferable to form the cylindrical body 12 into a multilayer structure as shown in FIG. 11. For example, the inner layer 121 is made of Au material, and the outer layer 122 is made of Ni material. Thereby, the inner layer 121 can be used to prevent the etching material from getting in from the back side of the cylinder 12 when the side surface of the cylinder 12 is etched. Furthermore, by making the inner layer 121 an Au material, the core wire 120 can be smoothly drawn out from the cylindrical body 12.

In addition, when the cylindrical body 12 is formed into a multilayer structure, a material that will react with the melted first fixing member 131 to form an alloy may be used as the inner layer 121. Thereby, the needle shaft 11 and the barrel 12 can be more firmly fixed.

<Modification>

In the probe 1 of the modified example of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 12, a blocking portion 110 is formed in the insertion portion 112 of the needle shaft 11. The blocking portion 110 is formed in the area of the insertion portion 112 closer to the opening of the barrel 12 into which the needle shaft 11 is inserted than the area in contact with the first fixing member 131, and is arranged inside the barrel 12. The blocking portion 110 prevents the first fixing member 131 from moving toward the opening of the cylindrical body 12. The blocking portion 110 is formed in a flange shape having an outer diameter larger than a region in contact with the first fixing member 131.

The outer diameter of the blocking portion 110 is preferably within a range where the blocking portion 110 can be inserted into the inside of the cylinder 12. With this, the first fixing member 131 can be effectively prevented from flowing to the front end portion 111 of the needle shaft 11 before solidification.

(Second embodiment)

Fig. 13 shows the probe 1 of the second embodiment of the present invention. In the probe 1 shown in FIG. 13, the needle shaft 11 has a protruding region 113 having an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the barrel 12 between the front end portion 111 and the insertion portion 112.

As shown in FIG. 14, the probe 1 shown in FIG. 13 is formed with a second fixing member 132 on the surface of the protruding region 113 facing the end surface of the opening end of the cylindrical body 12. Thereby, when the insertion portion 112 of the needle shaft 11 is inserted into the barrel 12, the protruding region 113 of the needle shaft 11 is fixed to the end surface of the open end of the barrel 12 by the second fixing member 132.

According to the probe 1 shown in FIG. 13, the position of the melted second fixing member 132 will be stable. That is, the melted second fixing member 132 can be suppressed from flowing out from a predetermined position.

Although the example of forming the second fixing member 132 in the protruding region 113 of the needle shaft 11 is disclosed above, the second fixing member 132 may be formed on the end surface of the open end of the cylindrical body 12. Alternatively, the second fixing member 132 may be formed on both the protruding region 113 of the needle shaft 11 and the end surface of the open end of the barrel 12.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 15, the first fixing member 131 may be disposed between the insertion portion 112 of the needle shaft 11 and the inner wall surface of the barrel 12, and between the protruding area 113 of the needle shaft 11 and the barrel 12 The second fixing member 132 is disposed between the end surfaces of the open end, and both of these areas are used as the fixing area. Thereby, the pin shaft 11 and the barrel 12 can be more firmly fixed by using a plurality of connecting regions.

(Other embodiments)

The present invention has been disclosed using the embodiments as described above, but the description and drawings that are part of this disclosure should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art related to the present invention can easily think of various alternative embodiments, examples, and application techniques from the above disclosure.

For example, the above disclosure describes the case where the cross-sectional shape of the probe 1 is circular, but the cross-sectional shape may also be a polygon such as a quadrangle.

As described above, various embodiments and the like not described here are naturally included in the present invention. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is determined only by the specific matters of the invention defined in the scope of patent application that is appropriate for the above description.

1‧‧‧ Probe

11‧‧‧ Needle shaft

12‧‧‧Cylinder

111‧‧‧Front end

112‧‧‧Insert

131‧‧‧First fixed member

Claims (16)

A probe is provided with: a rod-shaped needle shaft having a front end portion and an insertion portion connected to the front end portion; a tubular barrel in which the insertion portion of the needle shaft is arranged inside; and a conductive The first fixing member is arranged in a region where the needle shaft and the cylinder body are opposed so that the needle shaft and the cylinder body are fixedly connected and the melting point is lower than any material of the needle shaft and the cylinder body; Wherein, in the cut surface including the region where the needle shaft overlaps the cylinder in the region where the first fixing member is arranged, the first fixing member prevents the needle shaft and the cylinder from Fill up the gap; and the area of the insertion portion closer to the opening of the barrel into which the needle shaft is inserted than the area in contact with the first fixing member is formed in the barrel A blocking portion inside that prevents the first fixing member from moving toward the opening. The probe according to item 1 of the scope of the patent application, wherein the barrier portion is formed in a flange shape having an outer diameter larger than a region in contact with the first fixing member. The probe according to item 1 or 2 of the patent application scope, wherein the first fixing member is disposed in a concave portion provided on the surface of the insertion portion. The probe according to item 1 or 2 of the patent application scope, wherein, The first fixing member is arranged in a concave portion provided on the inner wall surface of the cylindrical body. The probe according to item 1 or 2 of the patent application scope, wherein the barrel system has a multilayer structure having an outer layer and an inner layer. The probe according to item 5 of the scope of the patent application, wherein a material that will form an alloy with the first fixed member is disposed in a region of the inner layer of the barrel that is in contact with the first fixed member . A probe is provided with: a rod-shaped needle shaft having a front end portion and an insertion portion connected to the front end portion; a tubular barrel in which the insertion portion of the needle shaft is arranged inside; and a conductive The first fixing member is arranged in a region where the needle shaft and the cylinder body are opposed so that the needle shaft and the cylinder body are fixedly connected and the melting point is lower than any material of the needle shaft and the cylinder body; Wherein, in the cut surface including the region where the needle shaft overlaps the cylinder in the region where the first fixing member is arranged, the first fixing member prevents the needle shaft and the cylinder from The gap is filled; the needle shaft has a protruding area with an outer diameter greater than the inner diameter of the barrel between the front end portion and the insertion portion, the protruding area of the needle shaft and the barrel The end face of the open end is fixedly connected by a second fixing member. A method for manufacturing a probe having a rod-shaped needle shaft having a front end portion and an insertion portion connected to the front end portion; and a tubular cylinder in which the insertion portion of the needle shaft is arranged Internal; the manufacturing method includes: forming a first solid at a specific area of at least one of the needle shaft and the barrel with a lower melting point than any material of the needle shaft and the barrel The step of connecting the member; forming an area arranged inside the cylinder and preventing the aforesaid insertion portion from being closer to the opening of the cylinder into which the needle shaft is inserted than the area where the first fixing member is in contact with The step of the first fixed member moving toward the opening of the blocking portion; inserting the insertion portion of the needle shaft into the inside from the opening end of the cylinder body, so that the needle shaft and the cylinder body penetrate through the specific area in the specific area A step of connecting the first fixing member; and a step of melting the first fixing member to fix the needle shaft and the cylinder; wherein, the side surface of the needle shaft is continuous in the circumferential direction The first fixing member is formed so that in a cut surface including a region where the needle shaft overlaps the cylindrical body in a region where the first fixing member is formed, the needle shaft and the cylindrical body are melted The melted first fixing member is filled without voids. The method for manufacturing a probe according to Item 8 of the patent application scope, wherein the first fixing member is melted by heat treatment. The method of manufacturing a probe as described in item 8 or 9 of the patent scope, Among them, the first fixing member is formed on the surface of the insertion portion. The method for manufacturing a probe according to item 10 of the patent application scope, wherein the first fixing member is formed in a concave portion provided on the surface of the insertion portion. The method for manufacturing a probe according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the first fixing member is formed on the inner wall surface of the cylinder. The method for manufacturing a probe according to item 12 of the patent application scope, wherein the first fixing member is formed in a recess provided on the inner wall surface of the cylinder. The method for manufacturing a probe according to item 8 or 9 of the patent application, wherein the barrel system has a multilayer structure having an outer layer and an inner layer. The method for manufacturing a probe according to item 14 of the scope of the patent application, wherein an area where the inner layer of the cylindrical body is in contact with the first fixed member is to form an alloy with the first fixed member Of material. A method for manufacturing a probe having a rod-shaped needle shaft having a front end portion and an insertion portion connected to the front end portion; and a tubular cylinder in which the insertion portion of the needle shaft is arranged Internal; the manufacturing method includes: forming a first solid at a specific area of at least one of the needle shaft and the barrel with a lower melting point than any material of the needle shaft and the barrel Steps for connecting components; The step of inserting the insertion portion of the needle shaft into the inside from the open end of the cylindrical body, so that the needle shaft and the cylindrical body are connected through the first fixing member in the specific region; and the first A step of melting the fixing member to fix the needle shaft and the cylinder; wherein, a protruding area having an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the cylinder is prepared between the front end portion and the insertion portion In the needle shaft, the protruding region of the needle shaft is fixed to the end surface of the open end of the cylinder by a second fixing member.

Images